


Mistletoe

by ilse_writes



Series: Partners [9]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Party, End of this series, First Kiss, Fulfilling Wishes, Gavin hates champagne, M/M, Mistletoe, Upgraded Connor | RK900 steps up his game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-17 18:35:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21059060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilse_writes/pseuds/ilse_writes
Summary: It's the annual Christmas party at the DPD Central Station. Nines has volunteered to make the food and he is great at it: everybody loves it. They keep telling Gavin how much they like Nines his food, much to his confusion. Why would they tell him that? And is there anything else to drink besides champagne? Gavin wants a beer! Oh, and a kiss, that would be nice too.Or: Gavin is a mess and Nines has got game.





	Mistletoe

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, yeah, I know it's still 70 days until Christmas, but I had to get this one out of my system. So, enjoy some early Christmas festivities with Reed900!
> 
> Oh, and please note that this story is part of a series, so I can imagine things make more sense if you've read the other parts of the series ('Partners') too. :-) I am just saying this because some parts of the series have more hits than others, so there must be people who only read some (or one??) stories instead of all of them. But, then again, who am I to tell you what to do? Just enjoy reading! :-D

Sleeping with an android in your bed is something you get used to quite easily. And maybe Nines gets used to sleeping in a bed quite easily too. Gavin wouldn’t know, he can only guess. They don’t really talk about it, actually. 

Gavin woke up early after that first night, with a warm and firm presence at his back. The side of the android was literally pressed up against his back - or rather the other way around, not an inch of space between them. Gavin had somehow arched his back to slot around Nines’ arm, his butt popped back to touch the android’s hip.    
It took him a sleepy second to realise this and in the next second he rolled over to his stomach - pretending to still be asleep, creating some much needed space between them. A few minutes later he deemed it safe enough to ‘wake up’, with a yawn and a stretch that enhanced the distance between their bodies even more.   
Gavin thinks he deserves an Oscar for his acting skills that morning, all casual and cool.

Nines had slept well that night, by the way. He was carefully positive about running his stasis program while being in a bed.

And when two days later the moment arrives that Nines is on his couch again, and the clock says it’s time to go or to go to sleep, Gavin thinks they should nominate him for an Emmy as well, because he’s cool as a cucumber in offering Nines a place in his bed again. 

It’s not just Nines that night: Tiny follows her android friend and curls up on his pillow, right beside his head. The light of Nines’ LED gives her normally white fur a blue, alien hue. 

And that’s how things go, from that moment on. When Nines is over at Gavin’s place, he stays the night and they share a bed. The android tries out different sleeping positions, ‘the starfish’ the only one that Gavin objects to, because those long limbs of Nines are all over his side of the bed.  
It has been a while since Gavin shared a bed with another person, even longer when you only count the persons that were there for more than one night. The android is an easy sleeping partner, however; he doesn’t move around a lot, he doesn’t snore and the light at his temple dims when he is in stasis. And with the Detroit winter the added warmth is very much welcome.   
Waking up pressed up against Nines isn’t even an issue anymore. It happens way too often to make a fuss about anyway. Besides, they are very comfortable around each other nowadays, very ‘tuned in to each other’ as someone other than Gavin might say. Though nothing gets said, because they don’t talk about it. 

It’s not that they don’t talk at all. No, sharing a bed opens up the possibility for - platonic - pillow talk. Late night theories about a case, the latest news on android rights, or, very domesticated, the reminder to buy cat litter before it runs out. They talk about everything, except for the things that maybe need to be talked about.   
Like how Gavin doesn’t sleep all that well on the nights that Nines is over at Anderson’s house or at his own apartment. Or how Nines his favourite sleeping position is on his side, opening himself up for Gavin to inch closer and closer during the night, until they are spooning.

What is there to talk about?

Everything runs smoothly. 

At work.

At home.

Nothing to talk about. Nothing to analyse. 

***

Christmas is coming, and with that, the end of Nines’ suspension. The end of a period that started with that blasted press release, one that had reporters on the steps of the precinct every morning for almost a full week. They weren’t there for Nines, they knew he was suspended and his home address was still classified information, like with any police officer. No, much to Gavin’s dismay, they were there for him.

“Sir! Was the android not deviant when he started working for the DPD?”

“Sir! How long have you been working with the RK900 called Nines?” That last word sounded a bit forced, like the reporter couldn’t believe a free android chose to go by that name. 

“Detective Reed, a moment of your time!” 

Too bad the precinct has automatic sliding doors, Gavin would’ve loved to slam a door in the face of those fucking journalists. Instead, he used the back door after that day. Nines didn’t need him blowing up in the face of a reporter, it wouldn’t do his case any good. 

The lawyer told him to lay low, so that’s what Nines did for four weeks. Four weeks in which the android was forbidden so set foot within the precinct or talk to outsiders about his case. Four weeks with as many appointments with his DPD issued android psychologist. Four weeks in which Gavin practically got jumped by a very obtrusive android as soon as he got home, a pushy android who ushered him to the kitchen table where a three course meal was waiting for him. Gavin got to eat it, as long as he gave Nines a minute by minute report of his day at the precinct.

He didn’t own a scale, yet Gavin couldn’t deny he’d added some pounds during those four weeks. Okay, maybe more than some. Nines is a really good cook. A really good cook with a lot of time on his hands.

That is also why they have their hands full walking up to the sliding doors of the main entrance; automatic doors sure come in handy when you are carrying four plates of baked goods. Nines carries eight. 

Gold coloured streamers frame the doors and hang from the ceiling, with gold and silver bells made from shiny paper placed at regular intervals. The gold and silver theme doesn’t stop beyond the main entrance hall, if anything, it gets worse.   
“Connor sure went all out on this, didn’t he?” 

“He’s always very thorough,” Nines answers, pushing the door to the large meeting room with a smooth press of his shoulder. 

“Food’s here!” Tina shouts as soon as they are through the door. She and Miller come over with their hands stretched out to relieve them of some of the plates. They organised this Christmas party, together with Connor, Peggy from Human Resources and Claudia from the front desk. There are some others too, who came to help put up the extra decorations for tonight. 

After all, it’s not like the precinct looks like an exploded Christmas tree all the time; Fowler only allows some sparse decoration, especially in the rooms that are open to visitors.   
“This is a place of business,” the captain always says whenever someone tries to make an argument to warrant a more festive appearance of the place. Well, Father Christmas puked all over Fowler’s place of business today. Courtesy of Connor and his elf henchmen.

Those elves are all dressed up nicely, in black with silver or gold accents, all according to the theme of this Christmas Eve party.  
“Looking good, Teens,” Gavin tells his friend, who dressed in a black skater dress with petite silver stars all over it. 

She smiles as they walk towards the table with the food. “You too, Gav. Nice to see you out of your hoodie for once.”

“Nines forced me,” he admits, looking down at his black dress shirt. He also has a gold bow tie in his pants pocket, which is there to stay. There’s no way that thing is coming out tonight.   
Nines had also wanted him to wear slacks, but Gavin refused adamantly; his nicest jeans are good enough. The dress shirt was not exactly his choice either, yet he yielded more easily on that one. Showing up in a ragged hoodie at the annual Christmas party was not exactly a done thing and he was not looking to get shit from his boss for showing up in his regular clothes. 

The party would start in half an hour, so they helped getting the last things ready. Not exactly Gavin’s choice either, he would’ve preferred to drop by when the party was already in full swing; however, because Nines had volunteered to make the food - ‘finger food’, he called it - he had to be here early to deliver it. And Gavin, well, Gavin was here to help him carry everything inside. Nines could use the extra hands, okay?  
In fact, the last two days had been totally devoted to this party. Nines hijacked Gavin’s kitchen and had spent the last 48 hours cooking and baking. Last night Gavin woke up at 3 am to find the other side of the bed empty; he had to almost drag the android out of the kitchen and order him to go into stasis at least until sunrise. Nines reluctantly did as he was told, rousing the exact fucking moment the sun peeped over the horizon. Needless to say, Gavin turned over and slept on; it was his day off, he was allowed to sleep in.

Being here early meant he couldn’t really start drinking right away, not without getting some  _ looks _ . It also meant that there weren’t enough people yet to forego social niceties, now he had to  _ talk _ to people. The only upside was that people now came to him to say hello when they arrived, so he could just stay in his spot by a bar table and pretend to be social with minimal effort. 

“Wow, the food looks amazing! Nines has really outdone himself!”

“I thought that Bundt Cake was good, but holy shit, Gavin, this is so good!” Sometimes people talk with their mouth full to get their message across as fast as possible. Though Gavin isn’t really sure why they compliment  _ him _ on Nines’ cooking. 

“Oh my god, how come you don’t weigh 200 pounds by now?” one of the girls from the front desk asks him, swallowing the last bite of one of the three different pastries Nines made. “I would be  _ so _ fat if I had someone who cooked for me like this every day.”

“It’s not every day,” Gavin argues weakly, still a bit at a loss from all the cooking comments. He only helped carrying all the groceries inside, after that Nines shooed him from the kitchen. He even had to get take out yesterday evening, because the whole kitchen was swamped in Christmas themed food prepping. 

Not long after the girl moved on to say hello to someone else, Nines joins him at the bar table. He puts a glass of champagne in front of Gavin, a similar glass filled with blue liquid in his other hand.   
“Thanks,” Gavin says, lifting up the glass in a small salute. “Hey, people really like the snacks you made. I guess you’re gonna be the designated caterer from now on.”

“They have said flattering things, yes,” Nines answers with a small incline of his head. Then he changes the topic. “Are you enjoying yourself?”

Gavin shrugs. “It’s okay. I do wish they served something other than this bubbly shit, though.”   
It doesn’t taste all that bad, for champagne or whatever the hell it is, however, all those bubbles make the alcohol go to his head much faster than usual. There’s red wine too, but Gavin doesn’t like the taste of that.

“Maybe I can find you a beer later.” Nines takes a sip from his own drink, probably just Thirium put in a fancy glass.

Gavin watches Nines drink, his eyes lingering on how his throat moves when he swallows. His Adam’s apple bops just above the collar of his black dress shirt; the android is not wearing his turtleneck for a change, although the dress shirt has a high collar too. A gold coloured tie forms a straight line down for Gavin’s eyes to follow. His partner looks good tonight, dressed all in black with that single gold accessory. 

He catches himself staring and quickly redirects his eyes towards the room. It’s getting crowded in the large meeting room and people are already spilling into the main hall. The front desk is empty, just for tonight the other precincts in the city are picking up their workload. Tonight, the officers of DPD Central Station and their dates are here to celebrate that it’s almost Christmas. A lot of them are already on the makeshift dance floor, a cleared space in the middle of the meeting room. Disco balls on the ceiling throw tiny specs of light all over the room, reflecting of the gold and silver decorations in thousand fold. 

Beside him, Nines is talking to a young couple, who no doubt are complimenting him on the food he made. The android has really come a long way in the roughly nine months that he is with the DPD now. At first, most people tended to give him a wide berth, not sure of the intentions behind his stoic facade. He is still very minimal in his expressions and he prefers to be as efficient as possible at work, yet people learned that he is very approachable and the amount of social interactions in the break room has grown over the months. Gavin feels some sense of pride in that: Nines really made progress.  
“He’s a real boy now,” he softly sniggers to himself, quickly hiding behind his glass of bubbly stuff when Nines curiously glances his way.

Frankly, Nines is anything but a boy. Sharing a bed with the android has learned Gavin as much; the android would fit right in with the models of those old Calvin Klein ads a young Gavin used to like so much. Waking up with his back against a strong chest, sometimes even with a well-built arm draped over his waist, summons the same reaction those ads used to give him when he was 13. Being in his thirties just means he knows how to hide his boner better. 

Nines doesn’t have that problem, the android was built for military purposes, not bedroom activities. Yes, Gavin is sure; he has sneaked a peek often enough by now. He can’t even find it a fault, not when the rest of Nines is as perfect as it is. 

Gavin is a selfish man. He looks. He steals a touch when he can, however innocent.

Gavin is a stupid man. He has a crush on his partner, even when he seriously doubts if said partner has the programming to potentially return his feelings.

The hand on his back startles him from his thoughts, Nines’ voice closer than expected. “I’ll be right back.”  
He watches his partner go, deducing that Connor is his most likely destination, at the other end of the room.

“You two are so cute together,” Tina sing-songs behind his back. She ignores his shooting glare and clinks her full glass against Gavin’s empty one.

“Fuck off, Teens.” 

“What? It’s the truth!” She shows him a big grin, before taking a sip of her bubbles.

Gavin takes her glass and drinks it in one go. It’s not the first time Tina has hinted on him and Nines being a couple. “Cut it out with the boyfriend shit.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Do you call him your life partner?”

“For fuck’s sake, Tina!” Gavin hisses. “I’m not dating Nines!”

His friend smirks, knowing he can’t really make a scene in this crowded room. Not without calling unwanted attention to their conversation. “Could’ve fooled me. You two slept in the same bed.”

Gavin throws his hands up in defiance. “The guy never slept in a bed before! I was merely offering him the chance.”

“Let me rephrase that: you guys  _ still _ sleep in the same bed.”

Gavin hates how flustered he is getting from his friend’s attack. “Not every night!”  
Also, he really has to watch his mouth around her more.

“Oh, I know.” Tina smiles like the cat who got the cream. “It’s really cute to see your face light up when you first see him at the office after he had a sleepover with Connor.”

“Shut up,” Gavin mutters. He looks around him and sees Chris Miller walking by with two of those champagne glasses in his hands. He snatches them from him, telling his startled colleague: “Thanks for the drinks, buddy.”  
Gavin downs the first one and would have done the same with the second one, if the blasted bubbles didn’t gave him the hiccups.

Tina laughs at his hiccups, waiting for them to disappear until she speaks again. A lot softer this time. “Really, I don’t know how you could ever expect us to think you two are not in a relationship. You even have a cat together! Isn’t that the gay equivalent of having a kid?”

“You mean a small dog,” Gavin mumbles. “Gays have dogs instead of kids.”

His friend shrugs. “Cats, dogs. Po _ ta _ toes, potatoes.”

Gavin leans on the table, his hands pressed against his forehead. “Friends. We’re friends. That is fucking all.”  
It may not be all the  _ wants _ them to be, but it sure is all they are right now. 

“Friends with benefits,” Tina smirks evilly. He glares at her from beneath his hands, although it is hard to keep his gaze angry. She ducks down a little to look into his eyes beneath his hands; then she does a double take, seeing something there that she didn’t expected.    
“No?”  
Gavin shakes his head, still keeping it down.   
“But you want to, don’t you? You want more.”  
It must be the bubbles in his brain that makes him answer her question truthfully. One small nod of his head and Tina sharply sucks in her breath. She nudges his arm playfully.  “Well, why don’t you just ask him then? I bet he wants more too!”

If there is one thing from his deviancy that still causes Nines trouble, it is deciding what he wants for himself. Gavin knows that. 

He also knows his opinion has been decisive for Nines in the past. 

That can’t be the case with this. Not with this.

“No!” His voice is maybe a bit too loud for a Christmas party. Not that he bothers. He pushes himself away from the table, tipping the glass of champagne that was still full. He doesn’t care, that bubbly shit is gross anyway.

***

Two cigarettes are what is needed to calm him down a little. Two cigarettes and the cold night air in the alley behind the precinct.   
There’s also a text on his phone.

< Nines >  _ Everything okay? _

< Gavin >  _ Fine. Needed some air. Champagne is NOT my drink. _

< Nines >  _ I’ll keep that in mind for future reference.  _

Gavin knows he needs to go back inside soon if he doesn’t want Nines to come looking for him. Or Tina, with more of her stupid, insightful questions. 

When he makes his way back inside, the party has spread even more. The main hall is filled with people, just like the meeting room. He sees Fowler and his wife, talking to a small group. Anderson is sitting on a bench against the wall, together with Ben Collins and some other senior officers. Gavin scoffs, they’re probably talking about the good old times.  
The main hall is separated from the meeting room by a glass wall, Gavin can see how the dance floor is even more filled now, bodies moving to the endless stream of cheerful Christmas songs the sound system provides. Right now, people are singing along to Wham’s Last Christmas. No matter how old that song is, you never get rid of it.

Gavin seeks out a safe spot, halfway up the wide stairs to the second floor. Little groups of people are scattered among the broad steps, chatting and laughing. He picks his way through them, sitting down on an empty step with his back against a post of the bannister.  He kind of wishes he had a drink, yet if his only choice is more of that bubbly shit, he can hold out on it. He watches the party inside the room; someone is going round with a fishing pole, for fuck’s sake. With all the flashing lights he can’t really see what dangles from it, but it is cause for a lot of amusement.

Of course the fishing pole makes its way to to the hall too. Peggy carries the rod, with a bundle of greens hanging from it. Claudia is behind her with a camera. They dangle the greens above two people and when they kiss Claudia makes a picture. Mistletoe, Gavin understands now.   
They target everyone, couples and non-couples alike. Captain Fowler gets a small applause for pecking his wife on the mouth and the hall is roaring with laughter when Ben Collins grabs Anderson's face with both hands and plants a loud open mouthed kiss on his bearded cheek. 

"That picture goes up on the bulletin board," he hears a familiar voice joke below him. The android brothers are standing by the stairs. Connor has his smile directed towards the scene with the lieutenant and Collins, Nines is looking up to Gavin, who sits a little above his head on the open stairs. 

His partner has a beer bottle in his hand, holding it up invitingly. The bottle is wet with condensation, ice cold and very alluring.  
"I'm coming down!" Gavin hurries to say and he gets to his feet immediately. 

Nines gives him the bottle as soon as he reaches the android brothers, wiping his wet hand on his pants in a very human gesture. Gavin is also very human: in all his joyous relief to see Nines with a beer he barely swallows the happy 'I love you' before it leaves his mouth. "I love… this!" he blurts out instead, taking a chug immediately to hide his flush.  
"Where did you get this?" he asks, with a side eye to Connor. "I thought they only served fancy bubbly shit tonight."

"That's called Cava," Connor states a bit snooty. "There's also red wine, or non-alcoholic refreshments."

"Yeah yeah, fancy or boring shit, like I said," Gavin waves him off and looks up to his partner again. "So where did this divine drink come from?"

"A back cabinet in the break room," Nines answers. And he starts to explain how he stuck it in the evidence freezer for a bit to get it cold. 

Gavin doesn't care where the bottle has been. It's cold and hoppy and Nines got it for him. That's all he cares about.   
"Well, thanks Tin Can," he says warmly, raising the already half empty bottle in salute.

The words have barely left his mouth when there is some commotion around them. Gavin looks to the side to see Claudia with her camera, looks up to see the mistletoe and when he looks forward again Nines is suddenly very close and there's the press of warm, dry lips to the corner of his mouth. Gavin instinctively moves toward the touch for a short second, before moving away like something bit him. 

"Oh, that one came out blurred!” Claudia exclaims in disappointment. “You moved too much, Gavin! Again!"

Since when did he get to a first name basis with her?

And what the fuck was  _ that?!  _

Gavin's brain catches up with the situation with a sudden lurch. He's suddenly aware of people looking expectantly at him, Claudia even wiggles her camera at him as if to convince him to give it one more go.   
And there is Nines, still very close and watching him intently, as if trying to analyse every micro expression his partner makes. Well, Gavin knows there is one reaction Nines surely can read from his face: panic. 

He bolts. 

Okay, it is not exactly running. He is walking at a fast pace, kinda the pace he used to practice when he made a beeline for the coffeemaker every morning. He doesn't have to do that anymore, because by the time he has said hello to Tina and hung his jacket over his chair, Nines is there with a glorious cup o' joe at exactly the right temperature. The android must interface with the coffee machine or something to get it like that; Gavin only ever gets the setting 'scalding hot' when he uses it. Just one more thing that makes his partner fucking perfect. Only where that used to piss him off - fucking perfect plastics - it now causes his chest to get all warm and tight. 

And  _ fuck _ , he really fucked this up, didn't he?

It was a joke, a fucking bit. Mistletoe on a fishing pole, for fuck's sake! Literally nothing serious about that. Collins kissed Hank in front of a ton of co-workers, nothing weird about that, people found it hilarious.   
_ He _ was the one that made it awkward by running away. 

"I thought I would find you here." Nines steps outside in the night air, his hands in his pockets. 

"You're not kidding anyone, Tin Can," Gavin answers on a sigh. "You probably track my phone 24/7, you always know where I am."  
A slight shrug from the android is his confirmation. Not that it is news to Gavin, he's since long aware that a part of Nines' processing powers is always dedicated to him.  
"Sorry for running off like that," Gavin mumbles, his quiet words barely more than redirecting air streams. 

Nines comes to stand next to him, both looking up at the slice of night sky that is visible from the alley behind the station.  "I am the one who should apologise."

"You? Why?" Gavin scrunches up his face. In his recollection  _ he _ was the one who made things weird just now. 

The android looks down to him, expression soft. "I read the signs wrong. I apologise for putting you in an awkward position."

The detective laughs wryly. "I think that was my fault. If I had not moved it would have just been a kiss on the cheek, like you intended. Not -"

"Detective Reed," Nines interrupts him. "I am equipped with the most advanced preconstruction software. Do you really think I did not foresee that happening?"  
The smile the android shows him Gavin has never seen before. It's downright mischievous.  "Although I must admit that one wasn't my favourite preconstruction."

Gavin's mouth runs dry. "And… and which one is your favourite?"

Nines takes a step closer, effectively backing Gavin up against the wall. "One that currently has steadily rising odds of success."

Gavin is like a live wire, every muscle in his body as tense as a bowstring. It's all he can do when he follows Nines' movements, one closed hand coming out of his pocket and coming to rest against the wall above Gavin's head. He looks up and Nines opens his fist, showing a few sprigs of mistletoe.   
"You smooth motherfu-"

The rest of his words are swallowed down by Nines his lips. Warm, pliable, a bit dry at first. Slowly moving, tasting.   
Gavin has to grab Nines by his shirt to keep himself upright, his knees buckling under the immense amount of surprise, joy and relief he feels. As always, Nines has him. The android moves his free arm around his waist, pulling him closer and supporting him at the same time. 

The mistletoe is forgotten; Gavin doesn't kiss Nines because of some cheesy tradition, he kisses his partner because the android is just  _ that _ : his partner in every sense of the word.  He likes to think Nines feels the same, although he is pretty sure of it when his partner backs up just enough to look him in the eyes, the palm of his large hand warm on Gavin's cheek.   
"This kind of mission is more successful in private, I'll make a note of that," Nines teases softly and he presses a sweet kiss to his detective's forehead. 

Gavin hide his face against the android's chest. "Fuck, you're killing me. When did you download Smooth.exe?"

Long fingers drag through the short hairs in his neck. Nines sounds like his usual, confident self when he answers. "Connor suggested I'd take a more direct approach towards fulfilling my wishes."

"Your wishes?" Gavin still doesn't dare to look up, afraid of going into cardiac arrest when he does and sees the determination he knows is there in his partner's eyes. 

"To be in a romantic relationship with you."   
Gavin's racing heart stumbles over a couple of beats. This is so unfair. 

He summons up the courage for some teasing of his own, lifting his head, but keeping his eyes on his fingers that are tracing the knot in Nines' gold tie.  "That's one wish, what are the others?"

Nines swoops in, his lips moving against the skin just below Gavin's ear. "Those are best discussed in the privacy of your home."  
Gavin has no answer to that. Not a verbal one at least. He can only hope Nines can read his answer in the heated kiss they share. 

Although Gavin would love to keep communicating through kisses, the cold December night is finally getting to him. He noses up the column of Nines' throat.  
"What do you say about booking it out of here? I've had enough of this party."

Nines nods against him. "Let's get our coats."

And,  _ oh _ , they'd have to get inside for that, don't they? Gavin hesitates as Nines guides him by his hand through the empty corridor.  "Nines…"

His partner stops, looking at him inquisitively. "What is it, Gavin?" He follows the detective's gaze towards their destination, the sounds of the party muffled by the door in front of them. The android smiles in understanding. "If it is any consolation, most of the people in there already think we have been dating for a while."

And, that's true, isn't it? Tina has been bugging him about it for quite some time already. And it would certainly explain the way people talk to him about Nines.  
Gavin takes a deep breath to steel himself. He wants to take a step forward, when he suddenly remembers another thing. "Fowler is in there."

"You are not my subordinate," Nines reminds him, picking up on Gavin's line of thinking. "And I am not yours. There's nothing in the bylaws that prevents a relationship between equally ranked officers." He weaves their fingers together and squeezes gently. "Besides, Connor has informed me the captain shares in the general opinion about us."

"That we are a better detective duo than that old drunk and your annoying brother?"  
That earns him a warning squeeze in his hand and Gavin lets Nines pull him to his side with a grin, playfully bumping their shoulders together. 

The door opens before them, giving way to a couple of party goers who are on their way to grab a smoke out back. If they see that the detectives are holding hands, they don't comment on it. They just nod in greeting and continue their conversation. 

The detectives share a smile before they push through the door, back to the party. And if Gavin holds his android's hand the whole time until they get home, there isn’t anybody who says a word about it. 

Except for Tina maybe, through text.

< Tina >  _ Woohoo! Go get some hot android butt!" _


End file.
